


It's Just a Hobby

by randomwriter57



Series: Appreciate Ai Week 2016 [2]
Category: Free!
Genre: Flower Crowns, Flowers, Fluff, Gen, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-11 23:41:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5646052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomwriter57/pseuds/randomwriter57
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Yo, Ai.”<br/>“Yes, Rin-senpai?”<br/>“I didn’t know you were into flowers.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Just a Hobby

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little headcanon I’ve had about Ai for a while that I thought I’d include for this. It’s short and sweet, but I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Written for [Appreciate Ai Week](http://appreciateai.tumblr.com), Day Two: Personal Headcanon.

“Yo, Ai."

Aiichiro turns to face Rin, putting down the picture he'd been reminiscing over. Rin is holding a book, flicking through the large pages. Aiichiro can't make out the cover.

"Yes, Rin-senpai?"

"I didn't know you were into flowers."

Looking closer, Aiichiro notices that the book in Rin's hands is indeed filled with pictures of colourful flowers. It was a present from his mother for his birthday half a year ago. "Oh, yes. It's just a hobby though." He waits for Rin to laugh or scoff. Some of his hobbies tend to be on the odd side. (He can clearly recall Rin's face when he found Aiichiro's journal on daphnia last year, when he'd tried to help clean his dorm room. He didn't look impressed.)

Rin hums and flicks a page over. His eyes widen a little, and he picks something out of the book. "There's a flower in here."

Aiichiro smiles. "I press flowers in that book too. I try to keep them on the same page as the type of flower they are."

"So this one's an orchid?" Rin shows the flower to Aiichiro. Indeed, it has the same round, pink petals as the flower in the picture

"Yes."

Putting the flower back inside the pages, Rin sets the book down on Aiichiro's empty desk. (Rin insisted on emptying it completely, even though he doesn't have to look at it every day anymore. At least Aiichiro knew where everything was before.) "What do you do with all these flowers?"

Aiichiro stands and walks over to look at the flower in the book. "The pressed ones can be used as bookmarks, or put in a scrapbook. I also have a little garden at home, and I make accessories with some as well." It's a bit of a weird hobby to have, but Aiichiro loves flowers. Part of him wants to go into the fashion industry if the whole swimming thing doesn't work out. It was his first dream job as a child after all.

"Accessories?" Rin raises an eyebrow. "You don't wear accessories though."

"I like fashion," Aiichiro explains, then reaches for a box from his bookshelf. It's a small, plain box, but the insides are the part which matters. He opens the box and takes out one of the flower crowns he made a while ago. "I used to want to be a fashion designer, and I guess part of that has kind of stuck with me."

Rin takes the offered headwear and holds it as though it will break at the slightest sudden movement. The flowers are all shades of blue and purple, some of Aiichiro's favourites. He was lucky to find them when he was on holiday with his family. They aren't exactly the most common of flowers in Tottori, after all.

"You made this?" Rin says, looking up with wide eyes.

Aiichiro nods. Part of Rin's reaction surprises him - after all, Rin isn't exactly a gentle person, most of the time. Usually he's sharp and blunt. Aiichiro half expects him to shrug it off and put it back into the box, but that doesn't happen either.

"This is really cool. You have talent." His eyes shine with honesty, betraying no signs of lies or disinterest. "Seriously, this looks like the kind of thing Gou would wear, and she's pretty picky with accessories."

"Really?" Aiichiro feels his heart soar. To be praised when he least expects it is amazing enough, but to be praised by Rin, his aspired senpai, it feels like a dream. "Thank you so much! I'm flattered."

"Actually, would you mind making one? For Gou, that is. I think she'd like to have one." Rin averts his eyes and scratches the back of his neck, as he does whenever he's out of his comfort zone. He isn't the type of person to ask favours such as this, so Aiichiro understands why he feels awkward doing so.

"Of course I will." Aiichiro smiles at Rin, feeling excited to get started on his new task.

Rin looks up at him with a small smile, which turns a second later into a stern frown. "You have to finish cleaning in here first, though."

Aiichiro sighs melodramatically. "I know, I know."

Still, he can't help but feel a sense of joy and excitement which motivates him to clean more quickly. After all, Rin likes his work, and he needs to make sure his next piece is up to scratch for Gou. And the quicker he cleans his dorm, the sooner he'll be able to get started.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me at [randomactuallywrites-57](http://randomactuallywrites-57.tumblr.com) on tumblr | [@randomwriter57](http://twitter.com/randomwriter57) on twitter!


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